Daniel Joseph Shannon

With a profound sense of loss, we announce the passing of Daniel Joseph Shannon, a community leader whose passion and commitment to family, friends, and business left an indelible mark on all who knew him. Dan passed away on September 25th peacefully, with family by his side. Dan was both the founder and retired leader of Triangle Media Partners; a collection of media properties that includes Chapel Hill Magazine, Durham Magazine, Chatham Magazine, Heart of NC Weddings, The Triangle Weekender, Triangle Digital Partners, a custom publishing business, and a flurry of events. He will be missed by the many people that he touched in all aspects of his life.

He leaves behind his grieving but grateful family: Ellen, his wife and partner in life and business; his children Emma, Rebecca, Drew and their spouses (fondly referred to as the "trifecta" by Dan): Jason, Christoph, and Kelty; his mother Joan; his siblings Cathy, Mike, Patty, Bill, and their spouses; his many nieces and nephews; and his first granddaughter, Shannon, who is named in his honor. He was eagerly awaiting the imminent arrival of his second granddaughter.

Born in South Bend, Indiana, Dan moved to New York in 1975 to make his name in publishing at the Knickerbocker News. He continued on to other esteemed publications, such as the New York Times Magazine, Money Magazine, and People Magazine. Creativity, keen media instincts, love of people, and a talent for idea generation were the hallmarks of his work.

Eventually he made it to Connecticut and in 1984 Emma was born. He and Ellen settled in Westport to grow their family with Rebecca and Drew. Dan has some of his fondest memories of the annual Dad & Daughter dances there, and he and Ellen loved raising their kids in this warm community, especially the one they found at Saugatuck Congregational Church.

Laughter was one of Dan’s greatest strengthes; his full-bodied guffaw rocked rooms, and his soft chuckle made your heart swell. Dan’s terrific sense of humor led him to enjoy writing freelance jokes for Jay Leno. But mostly he entertained everyone with his quick wit, infectious humor, and the ability to bring laughter to any room he entered. His only known fear in life was not being able to make you laugh.

Dan had a unique blend of media and technology talents from the early days of the personal computer, serving as invaluable tech support for his company, his friends and family. He loved solving a hard tech problem, and we all loved him for his solutions.

In 2002, it was love at first sight with Chapel Hill and he and Ellen began to build Triangle Media Partners in 2006, starting with Chapel Hill Magazine. His spark of an idea has grown into a multimedia business that includes many other print and digital properties. Dan was incredibly proud to be a part of the thriving Triangle community, culture, and momentum for over two decades.

Dan was a fabulous friend, colleague and family member, and this was demonstrated during his illness. Mail arrived for Dan almost every day from friends, past colleagues and family around the country. Over the last few years, if Ellen kept a guestbook for Dan, it would fill volumes and would include an incredible amount of Rebecca’s RDU passport stamps.

But Dan Shannon could never have lived as long as we would want, and he told his (wonderful, miraculous, and kind) Duke medical team repeatedly: he wanted quality over quantity, and somehow, we were all fortunate enough to get a lot of both.

Many people share in our gratitude to have been in Dan Shannon’s orbit for some part of his 71 years and join him on this pale blue dot. (Please look it up, he really loved that passage of Carl Sagan’s 1994 piece, Pale Blue Dot.)

A celebration of Dan’s life will be held at a later date. A private interment will take place at Saugatuck Congregational Church’s Evergreen Cemetery in Westport, CT.

In lieu of flowers, Dan and his family ask you to please consider making a gift in his memory to either Book Harvest or The Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. Book Harvest works to ensure every child grows up from birth with an abundant home library and has the opportunity to build a lifelong love of reading. You can donate at bookharvest.org/donate.The Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke provides hope and empowers brain tumor patients, provides unparalleled care, research and education. Memorial contributions may be made to The Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, DUMC 3624 Durham, NC 27710 or at this site: https://tischbraintumorcenter.duke.edu/donate.